The novice treasure hunter should be properly equipped in order to have the right kind of experience to keep them coming back. This is a list of the 10 best metal detectors for the beginner (i.e. under $300) factoring in price, quality,  reviews, and experience. Keep in mind these are all low end metal detectors which don’t come with a lot of bells and whistles. If you give them a chance and learn your machine well,  you will have plenty of success and more fun! So let’s start off with what we believe are the best detectors for a new treasure hunter and the average price you can find them for.

1) Fisher F2 ($215)

2) Tesoro Silver uMax ($240)

3) Garrett Ace 250 ($215)

4) Tesoro Compadre ($150)

5) Garrett Ace 150 ($155)

6) Teknetics Alpha 2000 ($200)

7) Whites Classic 4 ($290)

8) Bounty Hunter Tracker IV ($100)

9) Titan 1000 ($200)

10) Bounty Hunter Quicksilver ($90)

This list is in an order created by me and reflects only my personal opinion which could vary from those of others. The top 3 on this list are the most recommended beginner metal detectors in every forum and review I read. Good luck with your first detector!

I frequently see the debate raging as to which is the better metal detector, the Minelab E-Trac or the Whites Spectra V3. I have not used either detector but fully believe in both of their abilities. Each has it’s strong points and areas where it doesn’t perform up to par, so let’s settle it once and for all. In your opinion, which is the better detector overall? Comments are appreciated justifying your reasoning.

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I’ve been collecting a list of movies related to treasure hunting and am now presenting the top 30 treasure hunting movies of all time. This list isn’t necessarily my opinion, it is sorted by the user ratings from IMDB (Internet Movie Database). If you have other favorites, drop a comment and let us know. Without further ado, the Top 30 Treasure Movies:

1) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Plot Summary: “The year is 1936. A professor who studies archeology named Indiana Jones is venturing in the jungles in South America searching for a golden statue. Unfortunately, he sets off a deadly trap doing so, miraculously, he escapes. Then, Jones hears from a museum curator named Marcus Brody about a biblical artifact called The Ark of the Covenant, which can hold the key to humanly existence. Jones has to venture to vast places such as Nepal and Egypt to find this artifact. However, he will have to fight his enemy Renee Belloq and a band of Nazis in order to reach it.” -John Wiggins

2) The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

Plot Summary: “Fred C. Dobbs and Bob Curtin, both down on their luck in Tampico, Mexico in 1925, meet up with a grizzled prospector named Howard and decide to join with him in search of gold in the wilds of central Mexico. Through enormous difficulties, they eventually succeed in finding gold, but bandits, the elements, and most especially greed threaten to turn their success into disaster.” -Jim Beaver

3) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Plot Summary: “Indiana Jones, famed adventurer and archaeologist acquires a diary that holds clues and a map with no names to find the mysterious Holy Grail- which was sent from his father, Dr. Henry Jones, in Italy. Upon hearing from a private collector, Walter Donavan, that the mission for the Holy Grail went astray with the disappearance of his father, Indiana Jones and museum curator Marcus Brody venture to Italy in search of Indy’s father. However, upon retrieving Dr. Henry Jones in Nazi territory, the rescue mission turns into a race to find the Holy Grail before the Nazis do- who plan to use it for complete world domination for their super-race. With the diary as a vital key and the map with no names as a guide, Indiana Jones once again finds himself in another death defying adventure of pure excitement.” -commanderblue

4) Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Plot Summary: “Pirates of the Caribbean is a sweeping action-adventure story set in an era when villainous pirates scavenged the Caribbean seas. This roller coaster tale teams a young man, Will Turner, with an unlikely ally in rogue pirate Jack Sparrow. Together, they must battle a band of the world’s most treacherous pirates, led by the cursed Captain Barbossa, in order to save Elizabeth, the love of Will’s life, as well as recover the lost treasure that Jack seeks. Against improbable odds, they race towards a climactic confrontation on the mysterious Isla de Muerta. Clashing their swords in fierce mortal combat, Will and Jack attempt to recapture The Black Pearl ship, save the British navy, and relinquish a fortune in forbidden treasure thereby lifting the curse of the Pirates of the Caribbean.” -Anonymous

5) The Goonies (1985)

Plot Summary: “The Goonies are a group of friends living in a village, the groups leader Mikey Walsh, his older brother Brand and gang members Andy, Data, Stef, Mouth, and Chunk are being evicted from their homes which are to be demolished. Setting out to find a way of saving their homes, The Goonies find a treasure map and they set off in search for the treasure of the legendary pirate One-Eyed Willy which is located beneath a abandoned restaurant. Joined by a deformed gentle giant named Sloth, The Goonies embark on a great adventure through a underground maze filled with traps and skeletons, where they are pursued by Sloth’s mother, thief Momma Fratelli and his brothers Jake and Francis who are also after One-Eyed Willy’s treasure and they willing to get the treasure first.” -Daniel Williamson

6) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

7) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)

8) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)

9) National Treasure (2004)

10) Romancing The Stone (1984)

11) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

12) National Treasure 2 – Book of Secrets (2007)

13) The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice (2008)

14) MacKenna’s Gold (1969)

15) The Legend of Tillamook’s Gold (2006)

16) The Nugget (2002)

17) Sahara (2005)

18) The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (2004)

19) Trespass (1992)

20) The Deep (1977)

21) The Librarian: Return to King Solomon’s Mines (2006)

22) Into the Blue (2005)

23) Without a Paddle (2004)

24) Fools Gold (2008)

25) Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)

26) Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life (2003)

27) City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly’s Gold (1994)

28) King Solomon’s Mines (1985)

29) Firewalker (1986)

30) Lost Treasure (2003)

That concludes the top 30. There are of course many other great treasure movies and I’d love to hear about your favorites. Here a a few more just for good measure: Treasure Blind, Jack Hunter and the Lost Treasure of Ugarit, King of California, Mexican Gold, Whisper Island, Treasure Raiders, The Search for Nazi Gold, Treasure Planet, Revelation, Three Kings, Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold, Time Bandits, The Treasure Seekers, The Treasure of Jamaica Reef, Shark’s Treasure, Treasure of Tayopa, Paint Your Wagon, Garden of Evil, Captain Kidd, Desert Gold, Vibes….the list could go on forever. Enjoy :)